A huge, congratulatory cheer for Michael Koryta, who won the 2008 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for his novel ENVY THE NIGHT!Further coverage of the Friday night award ceremony and festival can be found on the LA Times, LA Times' Jacket Copy blog, Publishers Weekly, Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind, January Magazine, MediaBistro, BookSpotCentral, School Library Journal and The St. Petersburg Times.
"Set in a rural Wisconsin so well rendered the scent of pine trees seeps from the page, Edgar finalist Michael Koryta gives us Frank Temple III, a young man whose life was upended when he learned of his suicide-father’s secret past as a contract killer. Having spent the seven years since drinking, drifting, and failing to move beyond his father’s terrible legacy, Frank learns that the gangster who corrupted his father is returning to their boyhood home. Intent on vengeance, Frank finds himself in a life and death struggle with professional killers, as well as a moving re-examination of the love and loyalty he still feels for his father." (Robert Crais' introduction made us want to buy the book, and we represent it!)
The judges remarked that "Michael Koryta tackles an impressive array of themes: the legacy of violence, the relationships of parents and adult children, and the futility of revenge, all while delivering an action-packed story. Envy the Night shows a confidence in storytelling that doesn't follow predictable paths and illustrates Koryta's affinity for shaping authentic characters. This is the work of an exemplary talent, one we look forward to see grow and deepen over the course of his career."
